Time to say goodbye: An Aro and Carlisle story
by alanna51
Summary: Carlisle has come to Aro with the news he is leaving the Volturi...these two men have shared a special relationship over the years, what will Aro do when the one person he cares for the most is leaving him? We shall see...
1. Chapter 1

Aro stood facing the window behind his desk, his hands clasped behind his back. The sun was setting over Volteria, painting the city in hues of gold, pink and flaming orange. The scene didn't move Aro though. He had seen too many sunsets to care anymore.

He heard footsteps approaching his study. He knew who it was even before he smelt him, or turned around. He would know those footsteps anywhere. Carlisle. Aro was not surprised at the feeling of excitement he felt in the pit of his stomach, he'd grown used to it. Ever since he'd brought Carlisle to Volteria he'd grown... attached. This was a new feeling for him, as Aro hadn't felt deeply for anyone in a long time. Even his own mate had grown distant as the years past, but Carlisle, Carlisle was... different.

He'd found Carlisle so intriguing, from his polite, yet firm refusal to drink from humans, to his love and passion for the arts, to the way his hair seemed to go from white to gold depending on the light. He and Carlisle even began taking walks together so Aro could show him the sites and secrets of Volteria...he wanted to show Carlisle everything. It wasn't long before Carlisle began to invade all Aro's thoughts. Aro even found himself observing the way Carlisle would tilt his head slightly to the side when he was listening to someone, causing his blond hair to brush to one side, exposing a long, pale throat...

Shaking his head slightly, as if to rid it from thoughts about Carlisle, or rather Carlisle's neck, Aro turned to the door just as Carlisle entered. Once again Aro found himself staring at the man before him, observing the way the sun's dying rays made his skin sparkle slightly, and turned his hair a deep gold, almost the same colour as his eyes. Eyes that would look at Aro with wonder, delight and sometimes even fear...

"Aro, I need to speak with you." Carlisle said his voice soft, almost sad.

Aro silently gestured to the chair in front his desk. Carlisle walked towards it but didn't sit. He just stood behind it, nervously squeezing the chair's back. Aro walked around to the front of the desk himself and leaned against it, crossing his arms in front of him.

"What is it Carlisle?"

Aro could feel the fingers of dread curling around his stomach; he had a feeling of what was coming next, but prayed to the Gods he was wrong. Carlisle said nothing and just stared at his hand on the back of the chair, as if he had noticed it for the first time. Aro maintained his pose in front of the desk, waiting patiently; their time was limitless after all.

"I'm leaving." Carlisle said in a small voice, still staring at the back of the chair.

Even though Aro had been expecting those words they still felt as if someone had shoved a red hot poker though his chest. He stared at Carlisle who refused to meet his gaze. Finally Aro strode forward until he was right in front of Carlisle. Placing a hand under his chin, he forced Carlisle's face upwards until their eyes met. Their faces where so close their noses where almost touching.

"Look me in the face when you speak Carlisle, it's rude not to." Aro said, his voice dead; it was the same voice he used for trials. A voice that had always scared Carlisle.

Aro knew if he opened his mind he would be able to read all the reasons Carlisle wanted to leave Volteria, to leave him... but Aro blocked them, he wanted to hear the answers from Carlisle's own mouth. Aro felt Carlisle try to tug his face from his grip; he tightened his hand in response.

"I-I need to leave Aro, I- need..."

"Why?" Aro growled, tightening his hand even further, causing Carlisle to wince.

"I can't live like this anymore Aro! It's starting to get to me...I don't know how long I'll be able to go on without making a...a ...mistake..."

"A mistake..."

"The bloodlust... living here smelling the blood...I don't want to hurt anyone! If I stay here I don't think I'll be able to stop myself..."

Aro stared at Carlisle a moment longer, holding his face, rubbing his fingers slightly over Carlisle's jaw, memorising the texture. He was trying desperately to suppress the feeling of hopelessness that sprang up at Carlisle's words. Carlisle couldn't leave, he just couldn't.

"I know I'm weak." Carlisle continued, looking down although Aro still had a hold of his jaw, "But-

"Look at me." Aro growled, Carlisle reluctantly locked eyes with Aro, "you are not weak...you hear me?"

Carlisle remained silent, stubbornly staring at Aro's shoulder. Ignoring this Aro said,

"Tell me something Carlisle, is that the real reason you want to leave? Or is there something else?"

The tone of Aro's voice made Carlisle look him, really look at him. The expression on Aro's face seemed to shock Carlisle. Aro wondered if Carlisle could read the hurt...the distress he was feeling.

"Yes Aro, it is.", Carlisle said in a strained voice "It's not you. It was never you! This is something I need to do for myself. If-if there was any other way... Carlisle trailed off as if he couldn't bear to say anymore.

Aro didn't know what to say, there was one other way Carlisle could stay with him. If Carlisle ate like him, but he would never suggest that...he wouldn't make Carlisle chose for his own selfish needs. His hand still on Carlisle's jaw, Aro leaned in closer until their foreheads were touching. It was the closest the two men had ever come to each other. Carlisle's eyes widened in surprise, before they fluttered shut and he inhaled deeply, taking in Aro's scent. From this close Aro could see the details of Carlisle's face; the bruise-like shadows beneath the purple eye lids, the sculpted lips, the blond-almost white eyelashes.

Aro sighed and shut his own eyes, opening his mind to Carlisle's thoughts. Yes he knew it was invasive, but he had to know, he had to know if what Carlisle said was true. Carlisle thoughts was a swirling mass of conflict, at the fore front were feelings of sadness and loss, coloured with determination, a determination to protect and preserve those weaker than him. What caught Aro off guard though was the number of times his own face appeared in Carlisle's thoughts and the feelings Carlisle had for him, feelings that both scared and thrilled Aro, feelings that mirrored his own.

Aro opened his eyes to find Carlisle staring at him, his brow furrowed as if he was determined to burn Aro's face into his retinas. Smiling slightly Aro released Carlisle's face and backed away.

"I understand your decision Carlisle, if that's what you think is best." His voice sounded strange, even to him, wooden, as if he were reading aloud form a book he didn't care for.

Carlisle nodded looking unsure.

"The doors of the Volturi will always be open to you."

Carlisle nodded again and began walking away. Turning to face Aro in the doorway, the unsure look still on his face, he said, "Good-bye Aro."

Aro was across the room in a heartbeat, he pulled Carlisle to him, wrapping his arms around Carlisle's shoulders. Carlisle froze for the briefest of seconds before locking his own arms around Aro's waist. It was the first time Aro had simply hugged someone in more than a century, and it was so refreshing, so _relaxing_.

"I'll miss you my friend." Aro said, giving Carlisle a squeeze. Carlisle tightened his arms in response and buried his face in Aro's shoulder, inhaling. Finally Aro pulled away, Carlisle looked at him for a few moments before he turned and strode down the corridor. Aro knew he was already packed and would be gone in a matter of minutes.

Turning around Aro walked over to his desk, sat behind it and leaned forward until his forehead was resting on the smooth wood. He wrapped his arms around his middle and let his emotions wash over him.

Soft sobs began to echo in the study.

It had been ages since Aro had felt this kind of grief, this sort of emotion and for the first time since he had established himself as Volturi leader he let his emotions out, he let them flow freely. The sobs in the study grew louder as Aro let go and released all his emotions for Carlisle, for everything they had no matter how undefined it was. After one last sob, he leaned back and scrubbed a hand over his dry eyes.

Standing, he tugged his jacket smooth and straightened his tie in the mirror.

"Jane," his called, his voice calm and smooth, the way his subjects expected it, the way Carlisle hated it, "are the evening meals here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Aro sat at his desk, his hands warped around his middle and his head resting on the cool wood of the table top. His hands were shaking; in fact his entire body was shaking.

It had been three years since Carlisle left.

To a human that would seem like a vast expanse of time in which memories were made and forgotten, new experiences occurred and relationships were made and destroyed. To Aro though, the time felt like the blink of an eye. In that time nothing had changed about him. He envied those simple humans, how easily they forgot, how easily they replaced what they lost. Aro could never replace Carlisle.

Ever.

Aro pressed his forehead against the polished table top and continued with his newest hobby of the past three years, remembering. He would shut himself in his study, avoiding the questioning eyes of his clan, the distant eyes of his mate and let the memories wash over him. The memories weren't always memories though, sometimes Aro's mind would wander, and he would find himself coming up with scenarios involving Carlisle bursting through the doors of the study, declaring he had been foolish to leave and he never would again.

Sighing Aro let an old memory wash over him, one he hadn't used in a long time...

_It was night in Volteria. Aro sat in the library, located deep within the catacombs of his home, reading and wondering where Carlisle had gotten too. He had left for a hunt this morning, and Aro hadn't heard from him since. Although he refused to admit it to himself, Aro was worried. Carlisle was a gentle creature, anyone could see that, it was one of the things that had first drawn Aro to him. _

_It was also, one of the things that made him fear for Carlisle._

_ If a wandering vampire decided to fight Carlisle, as they were prone to do, Aro knew Carlisle would try to talk the vampire out if their actions or sacrifice himself to preserve the life of some blood crazed new born, rather than defend himself. Squeezing his eyes shut, Aro gently put the book on the table and took a deep breath through his nose. Everything would be fine, Carlisle would be fine. He just had to relax and wait. Waiting should be second nature to one so old._

_ Time continued to tick past, Aro felt his worry grow. He began to contemplate looking for Carlisle, but was hesitant, he didn't want to scare of the young vampire or seem possessive. Time continued to slip away, finally, when he couldn't take it anymore Aro stood and left the library. Walking down the corridor he came across Jane, licking fresh blood of her fingers._

"_You missed dinner Aro." She chided, a slight smile on her face._

"_Later Jane," Aro murmured, he had other things on his mind._

_Rain thundered down as Aro left his home. Lifting his face to the sky he sniffed slightly trying to find Carlisle's sent. To a younger vampire the rain and length of Carlisle's absence would have made this almost impossible. Not for Aro though, after a minute of sniffing he found Carlisle's scent, and without another thought he began to track it. The rain soon plastered Aro's hood to his head and soaked him to the bone, obviously he wasn't cold, but it was uncomfortable though, to have his clothes sticking to him. These thoughts soon left Aro's mind as Carlisle's scent grew stronger. He had entered a heavily wooded area where the rain was less intense due to the foliage. Aro's brow knitted as he traced Carlisle's scent down the winding forest path, any minute now he'd find the man. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the trees thinned out to form a clearing. _

_There, on the opposite side, sat Carlisle, his blond hair plastered to his skull by the heavy downpour. His mouth was slightly agape, as if he was still in shock over some horrific calamity, but it was his eyes that frightened Aro the most. They were dark, proof he hadn't hunted, with a blank look to them, as if Carlisle had retreated to some place so deep within himself he'd gotten lost. _

_In a flash Aro was across the clearing, not wanting to scare Carlisle, he approached the man slowly, one hand extended as if to show he meant no harm._

"_Carlisle?" he said softly, crouching down next to him and placing a hand cautiously on his shoulder. "Carlisle what happened?" _

_Instead of answering Carlisle just kept staring blankly ahead. Aro gently wrapped one arm around Carlisle's shoulders, pulling him close against his side. Carlisle didn't even move then. He just continued to sit there, his legs extended straight out in front of him with his hands in his lap, looking like a lost child._

_ Aro tried again, "Carlisle, what happened? Why didn't you hunt?" he gently rubbed his hand up and down Carlisle's upper arm, although trying to warm him was a futile gesture. They were vampires after all. Instead he just sat there with Carlisle, waiting for him to talk when he was ready. To pass the time he stared at the way the rain drops darkened Carlisle's hair to a deep gold, and trailed over his profile. Carlisle seemed oblivious to his scrutiny, he just continued to stare. It was beginning to unnerve Aro, and that was saying something. He would have to take action then._

_Sliding one hand under Carlisle's chin, he forced the other man to face him. Carlisle was stubborn though, he kept his eyes down cast. Aro kept his power in check, it always felt wrong somehow, invading Carlisle's thoughts. Carlisle didn't deserve to be so exposed... he was different to Aro._

"_Look at me," Aro whispered, he didn't know why but Aro felt if he spoke to loudly or moved to quickly Carlisle would bolt. _

_Carlisle didn't move an inch. Aro tightened his grip slightly and ran his thumb along Carlisle's jaw, leaning in close, to try to entice an answer from him. _

"_I-I..._

"_Yes," Aro whispered his mouth only an inch from Carlisle's ear. The other man shuddered slightly and sighed._

"_I-I'm a monster Aro."_

_Aro just raised his eyebrows in a silent question, he gently brushed his fingers down Carlisle's cheek, trying to comfort him. Ignoring Aro, Carlisle continued, the words spilling out of him in a broken, dead voice. _

"_I was out hunting and there was this-this woman. She-she shouldn't have been here... humans never come here, but... there she was. I was tracking a deer, and her scent hit me...I-I didn't know what to do... the next thing I knew I had these images in my head of biting her, drinking from her, killing her..._

_Carlisle's words trailed off, he leaned heavily against Aro resting his head against Aro's shoulder._

"_What happened then?" Aro asked, wrapping his other arm around Carlisle's waist pulling him even closer._

"_I...ran away, I just tore myself away. It-it may seem like nothing to you...but the images in my head...I-I felt so _hungry. _I just wanted to _devour_ that woman. The _satisfaction _afterward was so tantalizing... _

_Aro suppressed a sigh. To him, what Carlisle felt was no different from what he felt everyday when he fed. Carlisle was different though, he couldn't bring himself to tell Carlisle it was normal for him to feel this way. That he was a vampire, and this was expected of him. After all, he knew all about Carlisle's _special_ diet. _

"_But you didn't kill her, she's fine. You can't destroy yourself over what you_ feel _Carlisle, it will drive you mad."_

"_It would have been so easy though... so easy to just give in."_

_It was on the tip of Aro's tongue to tell Carlisle he could do just that, give in, feed like him, but he couldn't do that. Not when he knew how much preserving human life meant to Carlisle, also he didn't want to bring up that old argument now, when Carlisle seemed so broken. _

"_You're strong Carlisle, stronger than me. You didn't give in, that woman is alive because of that."_

_Carlisle looked at Aro for the first time since he found him. His eyes looked torn now, as if he wanted to believe Aro but thought it was too good to be true. Aro ran his hand down Carlisle's face and through his wet hair, causing it to stick up._

"_I'm not stronger than you." Carlisle said, his voice was indignant._

_Aro chuckled; relieved Carlisle's voice had changed from its dead tone. He rested his forehead against Carlisle's, their noses brushing._

"_Yes you are."_

_Carlisle shook his head, closing his eyes and putting his hands around Aro's neck. Aro grinned, pressing his lips feather lightly across Carlisle's. It was the first time he'd done that and he wondered how it would be received. Carlisle pulled back, looking slightly shocked. Then, to Aro relief, he smiled slightly and leaned against Aro's shoulder._

"_Put this behind you Carlisle, nothing happened. That woman is fine."_

_Aro felt Carlisle's lips form a simile against his neck. _

"_Thank you Aro"_

_Aro smiled and pulled Carlisle even closer, if that was possible, and pressed a quick kiss on the top of Carlisle's head..._

Aro tightened his arms around his torso. Grinding his eyelids shut and clenching his teeth, he pulled himself out his memories. He could still feel Carlisle in his arms, smell him...

With another sigh he stood up, brushing his hair back. Aro wondered where Carlisle was now, if he ever thought of him. Probably not. The memories were probably too horrific for him...

A continent away Carlisle sat under a tree, watching the sun set. Staring up at the sky he absent-mindedly ran a hand down his cheek, while his thoughts wandered back to a tall, dark haired man who had comforted him when others couldn't.

Sighing, he stood up. Aro had probably reconnected with his mate by know, leaving Carlisle as just an annoying memory. Turning his back on the sun, Carlisle walked away, trying to push all thoughts of Aro from his head...

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! This story just got push to the side when school and craziness started. **

**Ah Carlisle, so delicate. XD**

**Anyway tell me what you think. If you have any questions feel free to ask. **


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